Battle of the Subwoofers: JL Audio W3 vs Alpine Type-R

Last week we discussed the differences between a Rockford Fosgate P3 subwoofer and a Kicker Solo-Baric L7, and focused on the features that set them apart from each other. In this week’s second “battle” we will go pound for pound with the Alpine Type R and the JL Audio W3. Both of these series of car subwoofers are considered high quality and never disappoint.

JL Audio 12W3v3-2

JL Audio is one of those companies that everyone knows by name. Even if they have never heard any of their drivers people will still tell you that JL Audio is considered one of the top companies in the car audio industry. Hard work and precision goes into all of their products and nothing could be more true about JL Audio’s 12W3v3-2 W3 series subwoofer. Many of the subwoofer’s patented technologies focus on the response and linear movement of the subwoofer, making it one of the most accurately precise woofers on the market today. While the W3 will sound great in a ported enclosure it was design to perform at is best in a smaller sealed enclosure, allowing the subwoofer to produce tight, crisp, and clean bass every single time. One of the coolest things about the W3 is that while other woofers suffer under lower power conditions, the W3 does not; in fact it will still reproduce clear and tight bass at multiple power ranges. The W3 is really the subwoofer that was designed for those who don’t want to miss a beat.

Alpine SWR-1243D

Alpine’s SWR-1243D Type-R series subwoofer is one of the most top rated subwoofers not only on our site but within the car audio world and for a number of very good reasons. With an RMS power handling of 600 watts, this woofer is able to really reproduce some hard hitting bass. Alpine’s patented High Amplitude Multi-Roll surround allows the woofer do deliver deep and clean bass. The Type-R woofer is known as a power hungry subwoofer meaning that it wants all the power it can handle because it was designed to play loud. One of these woofers is more than enough to make your car shake eliminating the need for additional woofers, unless of course you want more power and want the entire block to hear you coming. This woofer is able to combine SPL with SQ and a price that is more than great. Its ability to be a versatile subwoofer, really sets it apart from other woofers who are more proned to play better under one condition than the other.

Staff writers at Sonic Electronix are experts in their field. In addition to a complete in-house training program, these experts typically have many years of hands-on experience in their specialty. Some come from car audio installer backgrounds, while others come with extensive retail experience.